Month: June 2014

Organizers of the High Desert Omnium, a two-day, three-stage bike race held annually in Central Oregon, are seeking volunteers for a variety of positions for the July 5 -6 event. Volunteers are needed primarily for the Saturday road race as flaggers and corner marshals at key intersections along the course west of Bend between the

A Redmond woman was cited and two of six passengers went to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries late Thursday afternoon after her SUV left Highway 126 east of Redmond, struck a power pole and overturned, Oregon State Police reported. Around 4:25 p.m., a 1999 Chevrolet Suburban driven by Karen Murray, 66, with seven passengers was

The number of stay-at-home parents in Oregon is on the rise. A new report released Wednesday finds that one in five mothers is staying home to care for family while with fathers, it’s one in 100. Oregon’s Office of Economic Analysis focused on the state’s working population, those between the ages of 25 and 54.

The recent Two Bulls fire was a near catastrophe, averted only by the hard work and courage of firefighters, first responders and search and rescue teams. The fire reached over 6,000 acres near homes on the Westside of Bend and hundreds of citizens were forced to flee as the blaze encroached on residential areas; causing

Carol Higginbotham, professor of chemistry, has been selected as the 2014 recipient of Central Oregon Community College’s Faculty Achievement Award. Presented annually since 1986, the award recognizes excellence in teaching. Growing up in a tight-knit Midwest community, Higginbotham was encouraged to learn to sew, cook, garden and play music. No one, including herself, would have

Bend City Councilor Mark Capell said hiking water and sewer rates “can be the hardest thing we can vote on” – and indeed, there was lots of debate Wednesday night before the council voted 4-3 to boost sewer rates 9 percent and water rates 5 percent – but not quite as soon as proposed. Instead,

Effective September 1, the Boys & Girls Club of Central Oregon (BGCCO) will separate into two independent organizations, Redmond/Terrebonne and Bend, the organization announced Thursday. “The decision to make the change was made with the goal of widening the family outreach of the two organizations and localizing fundraising efforts,” Thursday’s announcement said. Here’s the rest

Bend City Councilor Scott Ramsay announced Thursday that he is running for reelection in November. Ramsay was elected to the Bend City Council in 2010 and is in the fourth year of his first term. Here’s the rest of his announcement: Ramsay has been a consistent supporter of small business issues and has a proven

As the first day of summer approaches on Saturday, Oregon will be greeted with mostly sunny skies, warm temperatures and planes in the skies… Civil Air Patrol planes, that is. On Saturday morning, the Oregon Wing of the Civil Air Patrol will be conducting a statewide emergency services training exercise that will involve CAP members

Bend’s homeless shelter, the Bethlehem Inn, has been renting the building its operating out of for years from Deschutes County. The county bought the building back in 2008 for $2.5 million, expecting the Bethlehem Inn to buy it from them, but the Inn has not been able to afford it ever since. Jonathan Corpus, an

Each year during the last full weekend in June, Multi-sport Athletes from across the country converge here in beautiful central Oregon to take part in the Pacific Crest weekend sports festival events. It all takes place June 27-29. For more information, directions visit www.aasportsltd.com/pacificcrest . As with any large sporting event, VOLUNTEERS are needed to

The Daughters of the American Revolution has recognized Alex Noble, a recently graduated Summit High senior, as Oregon’s “Service for Veteran’s Outstanding Youth Volunteer.” Alex served as a chaperone for a WWII veteran on an Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C. Because he wanted local kids to better understand WWII, his Eagle Scout project was

Two Chicago women on a 500-mile hike of the Pacific Crest Trail called for help Tuesday after a difficult night of rain, then snow left them cold and with all their gear soaked, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. The hikers – Johanna Hail, 29, and Andra Sturtevant, 23 – called 911 dispatchers around 10:40 a.m.

The ASPCA ® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) announced Thursday the five winners of the 2014 ASPCA Help a Horse Day Celebration contest, a nationwide grant competition for equine rescues and sanctuaries to raise awareness about the life-saving year-round work they do to care for at-risk horses. The winning groups

Businesses reported that nearly half of Oregon’s job vacancies in 2013 were “difficult to fill,” according to a new report from the Oregon Employment Department . Major findings about Oregon’s difficult-to fill job vacancies include: The most common reasons employers cited for difficulty filling positions were: -Lack of qualified candidates (24%)-Lack of applicants (23%)-Unfavorable working

Oregon State University – Cascades Vice President Becky Johnson announced Wednesday in a quarterly meeting of the Campus Expansion Advisory Committee, that 71 of 90 recommendations provided to date by community task forces will be incorporated into the planning, development and policies for OSU-Cascades’ new Westside campus. The remaining 19 recommendations were either referred to

Deschutes County Health Services is inviting residents and visitors to complete a brief survey about visiting downtown Bend that focuses on issues such as whether smoking or alcohol use affects how often you visit and your enjoyment of the area. The anonymous online survey will be open for public input until Sunday, June 29. “The

Oregon State Police are continuing their investigation into the cause of Wednesday afternoon’s single-vehicle injury traffic crash along Highway 126 south of Santiam Pass in Linn County. According to Trooper Ryan Hockema, around 5:30 p.m., a 2004 Ford Escape driven by Candace Dobson of Pollock, Idaho, was eastbound on Highway 126 (the Clear Lake Highway)

A well-meaning person finds a young deer fawn alone in the wild, assumes it is lost, orphaned or hurt, and takes it home with them to nurse it back to health. Not only is this a bad idea, it’s against the law, state officials warn. In the past two weeks alone, Oregon Department of Fish

Oregon Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Rob Saxton announced Wednesday that 25,000 Oregon students from 90 school districts across the state participated in the field test of the new Smarter Balanced Assessment this spring. Students report that while the test is harder, it is also more interesting and engaging. Smarter Balanced will become the new